Gumption by Coffee Alchemy

Less foam (watery), taste wasn’t great as expected- hard to find seats, too crowded, think better off going to proper coffee shops with tables. Good for takeaway coffee.

Recommended by a friend, so just had to go. No line up, but there a few waiting for takeaway coffees. Friendly staff and service, but waited 10-15 minutes for a couple of Magic Coffees. The coffee, however, was very good - worth the wait 🤔 and it was reasonably priced. Sure. I'll go again.

The taste of the coffee is great and milk foam is rich and smooth. Tiffany blue cups are also very recognizable. I like the architectural style of this arcade. It's also nice to take a rest ouside the shop.

Pretty decent coffee, could be more fragrant. The cappuccino was the best. I will say there arent any seats inside the cafe and it’s noisy and not a good atmosphere outside so don’t come here if you’re looking for somewhere to study or talk. It is better suited to grab on the go coffee

Great atmosphere and coffeee. I recommand drink in rather than takeout, so that you can have better quality.

I always expect a top-tier coffee when I’m at the Strand Arcade, but my last two visits here have been really disappointing. I just ordered a regular takeaway flat white, and it was served cold and was honestly tasteless. I make my own coffee at home every day and have plenty of practice, so I’m always shocked when I get a poor result from a professional barista in such a premium location. I hope they can improve their consistency to match the arcade’s reputation.

This small "hole in the wall" place in The Strand Arcade always attract crowds of people - coffee is consistently good, service is friendly despite being extraordinary busy. By far the best coffee in CBD, and I've tried majority of what's on offer. So, thank you, beautiful people of Gumption.

[Seating] Not many seats available; a bit crowded and busy [Atmosphere] Slightly chaotic during peak time, not ideal for a quiet stay [Coffee] Excellent quality overall, especially the Flat White [Highlight] Flat White was smooth, rich, and perfectly balanced [Recommendation] Strongly recommend ordering it with soy milk — it adds a creamy, nutty depth [Revisit] Would definitely come back just for the coffee

Bustling coffee shop in the middle of a picturesque mall. It's a nice spot offering fresh grinds and the usual variety of espresso coffees. We enjoyed our iced mochas and I liked the teal color scheme. Would recommend for a quick coffee stop. Plenty of bench style tables in front.

Out of the three coffee shops I ordered flat whites today, this one is the overall better one. Microfoam and ristretto shot cutting through. They aren't here to chat, just pump out the drinks as one can see by the continual lines. Wish there was more time spent on latte art for the $ of the flat white.

$6 for 1/4 small cup with ice and a splash of cold drip. What a joke!!!!!! Cold brew: milk option (no this isnt cold brew) Told cold drip instead and what i got was woth $1 not $6 I know my coffee Poor form on a Monday morning guys. Seriously unimpressed.

Definitely a place for the coffee pro and not the "pick from a menu" type of place. You want a latte? cappuccino? You can get it here and it will be made delicious, but I feel like such a coffee amateur here. I will probably come back here once I feel more confident in my coffee skills

I had this place bookmarked forever and finally had a chance to stop by and try their coffee on 30th Dec. It was PACKED with tourists/ shoppers etc. The line was about 8 people deep but an efficient cashier, I didnt have to wait long for my order to be taken. The wait for my coffee was slightly longer (10 mins?). With three barista working their butt off, I would say they are pretty efficient. I LOVE the coffee! Though I had a latte, it was quite strong and flavorful. I was a happy camper :) I would definitely be back!

Not feeling the love. This is probably a 3.5 star coffee place, but I honestly couldn't give it a 4, so it's getting a 3. Negatives: - Not open before 8am, at which point a queue has already formed 6 or 7 deep. - Only one size, small, when other shops have at least 2 and sometimes 3. - The location is kind've in limbo. If you get off at Town Hall it's 2 blocks away (there's a dozen coffee shops in closer vicinity). If you are at Wynyard it's not even worth contemplating. Positives: - The coffee is excellent. On par with the better coffee shops in the city. - It's in the Strand which somehow gives you a touch of "the elegance" about your day. Would I come here again. Absolutely, but only if I was walking past, and never in the morning when I need a big coffee, not a kid's version. Get the extra size and open before 8 and I'd consider the extra hike to visit as a fair trade off.

I usually love this place, and whenever we are in the city, it usually involves a stop here for a delicious coffee. One of my favourite summer coffee drinks is a cold drip. That delicious intense flavour, and the caffeine hit that can make you shake, awesome! Imagine the surprise, when they they handed me my take away cold drip yesterday, and it was barely half full, AND that was thanks to some massive ice cubes. I felt betrayed, devastated, swindled, etc. $5 for a speciality coffee is no rarity in Sydney, but this was ridiculous. I gave them the second star, as the two sips I had were delicious. Stick to the basics here though, and you'll be leaving 4 and 5 star reviews.

Located in the stunning strand arcade, gumption is a popular coffee choice for tourists and city workers. Whilst the majority of people takeaway there is a fantastic set up of tables and stools to sit in the centre of the arcade reserved only for gumption customers. A good option for a work meeting however the set up is not conducive to groups of more than 4. The coffee is strong and creamy and served in cups and saucers that are an attractive deep purple colour. Highly recommend stopping in as you stroll through the strand arcade.

When I lived in Sydney the Strand Arcade was one of my favourite places to shop. I loved the architecture and that the stores inside were mostly unusual, bespoke and of a high quality. What was lacking all those years ago was a quality coffee stop and so it was with great pleasure that I found that Coffee Alchemy had come to the aid of energy-sapped shoppers and had opened Gumption on the lower level. Gumption is tiny and this means that ordering and waiting around for your coffee can be a squishy affair. There's loads of staff behind a tiny counter but everything seems to chug along smoothly. After five minutes my name and coffee order was called out "Trez! Soy flat white!"... umm, what? Soy? That's not my coffee order. I almost had a melt down because after being up at 6am for my flight to Sydney I was literally ready to hurl myself over the counter and put my mouth under the coffee groups, that's how badly I needed coffee. I think they saw the panic in my eyes when I calmly said "umm no I asked for a strong flat white" and reassuringly said "don't worry, we'll fix this right away". Sure enough, within moments my real coffee order was placed in front of me. I can't really remember what it tasted like. It was gone in about 20 seconds flat before my tastebuds could really dicern or register the "notes". Let's just say it hit the spot and next time I find myself in the Sydney CBD I'll be heading to Gumption for a coffee... and carefully enunciating my order.

This strong, rich, bitter coffee packs a punch in a cup! It's super popular so be prepared to wait 5 - 10mins...but oh so worth it! I probably wouldn't recommend this to those who prefer more mellow flavours. I came here with a friend who prefers less bitter coffees. A regular cap with 1 sugar tastes like a regular cap with no sugar from other cafes.

Pretty decent coffee. It is a hipster's paradise in the heart of the CBD. Their coffee is appreciated by coffee experts. No muck-about service which is efficient. They are very systematic. They accept cash and card with a $10 minimum and small surcharge. You can dine in as well or takeaway. Limited high bench seating in the Strand corridor. It does get crowded and you usually have to wait for your coffee. Hot chocolate is excellent too. There's this hipster wall line up area inside where you stand and wait for your order after you have paid. I think you are meant to line up in order - some unwritten hipster rule. I was getting greasys for not lining up in order but I thought hip people liked to bend the rules.

Arrogant services - Esther (manager) made us wait half an hour and when we got to the front of the line at 3:44pm she turned off the coffee machine and there was a line of 40 people behind. She didn't care that people lined up and kept saying they wanted to close and go home at 4pm. This is during Christmas shopping season on a Sunday. They were so arrogant and I saw lots of disappointing customer but they just said they want to go home at 4pm. They should have let people know before they lined up. My family was here just for a day from Europe and there was better things to do than line up for no reason! 18 December 2016

This coffee is the real deal. Quick service with super cheap prices. No flavor for the lattes so forget your caramel macchiato and enjoy what they have. It's worth it!!! Located inside the shopping strip surrounded by bakeries and other stores. This may make it a bit hard to find.

Gumption coulda been someone, you coulda been a contender... but now you're just a bum. The magic has gone, the coffee is bitter (even with sugar) and the service sucks. This place used to be great... it's not anymore. That makes me sad. I gave them benefit of the doubt over multiple visits and assumed they might be having a bad day or have a trainee on the coffee, endured the long lines and high prices but nope. Walk across to Romolo for good coffee now.

Here goes - my first 5 star review of a coffee shop. I debated giving it only 4 as that's what I gave my other fave caffeine stops, but this place deserves that extra star. Gumption by Cafe Alchemy is new and shiny. And I like shiny things. It's still very much a secret spot - I walk by the other cafés in the Strand with barely a spare table and I breeze right up to the till at Gumption. They started remembering me - or at least my lack of sugar - after the first visit. Today I had to wait in a two person long "line" for the first time - but it was 8.30 on a Monday. Everyone has different coffee tastes. I'm a long blacker (my North American roots). I take it straight up, and I like it strong - like, have-to-fight-against-pulling-a-face-strong. I've been to Gumption thrice now, and have received a beautiful caffeine hit each time. My heart has been won. I have to mention that I wouldn't have found out about this place if Peter C's amazing review hadn't shown up in my yelp feed, so thanks, Peter. I owe you one.

(evoking Schoolhouse Rock!) Q: Gumption Gumption, what's your function? A: WHO CARES, when your coffee is that good. I don't believe I have ever written an update review (shame on me ...). There are too many places to review, and not enough time. But I will make time (and words) for you, Coffee Alchemy. This place still feels like an undiscovered treasure, mainly because of the unassuming exterior (no mention of Coffee Alchemy that I could see) and the bare interior. Little do passersby realize that they are missing out on some of the consistently best coffee in Australia. Don't be one of them. For the Gump(tion) in all of us: Anyway, like I was sayin', coffee is the fruit of the rainforest. You can pressurize it, boil it, steep it. Dey's uh, filtered coffee, instant coffee, pressed coffee, espresso coffee. Cappuccinos, flat whites, lattes, cortados, piccolo lattes, macchiatos, iced coffee. There's coffee ice cream, affogatos, mochas, coffee cake, coffee cupcakes, coffee cookies, coffee brownies, coffee macarons, coffee eclairs. There's chocolate-covered coffee beans, coffee liqueur, coffee creamer, coffee mousse, coffee jellies, coffee candies. That- that's about it.

In the city I often run into the dilemma of which cafe to go to next. What will be open? What is close? What is worth the walk? At least a few times a week the answer to these questions tends to be followed with a visit to Gumption. This is yet another cafe that I can simply walk into an be served whatever the baristas think is "delicious coffee", and most times, it is actually delicious! One thing to know about Coffee Alchemy coffee is that much of it tends to be a little darker than your average roast. As such, always be sure to let it cool down a bit to allow the fruits and other characteristics to appear. You'll thank me if you do. Passion: 10/10 Crema: 9/10 Coffee: Coffee Alchemy

Been seeing a lot of people come here, but because the coffee place doesn't open before 8 and I usually have my coffee around 7 or 7:30, I don't normally get too many chances. Fortunately, they open on weekends which is a good bonus because the coffee here seems on par (if not better than Single Origin) - which is a win because its city based. If they were to open before 8, I'd definitely give this place 5 stars.

I paid $9 for a hand poured Gesha coffee that tasted like coffee flavoured water. Flat with none of the florals promised. Should have known better.

I love this tiny coffee shop inside The Strand Arcade. They have consistently served me with great cup of coffee, either takeaway or not. I tried to be more adventurous by trying their single origin coffee and it was fantastic.

Gumption is summed up by the phrases 'all good things take time' and 'you can't rush art'- the coffee here is simply divine, however it takes a while to be made. In one of the ritziest and flashest looking arcades in sydney, this little coffee store gives off the impression that a cup of coffee will require you to dip into your life savings- however a double shot cap only cost me $3.50! (that's good). Most importantly, this is a top cup of coffee. Smooth and tasty it ticks all my boxes. Seriously, if you don't like this coffee just stick to Nescafé. The staff are all lovely and always ask your name to written on the cup. Biggest complaint would be the time it takes for the coffee to be made, but honestly it's more or less the same time you'd wait in the burbs- I'm just comparing it to city time limits (and as I said- good things take time) So do yourself a favour and try the coffee place named after that stuff you use to clean your shoes- as I said, it's worth the wait.

Judged solely by one coffee (flat white, one size fits most) I think it's good. Not great, no amazing flavours of the coffee (sweet?choc?caramel?) combined with the milk. Would come again to try some of the other beans, but found the lack of signs or prices for the alternative blends leaving me to think it's more for show than consumption.

Modern stylish interiors of stained glass and brass fittings against a mint canvas are only surpassed by the quality of the coffee. Even though there's a range of beans to choose from, I can't go past the house blend. Best coffee in the city.

A dark rich coffee nestled in the strand arcade. The taste sets this place apart. The first taste will make your mouth move. Your brain won't know what hit it. It will panic "maybe I don't like this, what is this, how is this doing this" and then you will settle. Your brain will relax and your taste buds will bathe in liquid gold. EDIT(after many visits): Staff are friendly, dedicated and accommodating odd orders. Open 7 days a week, unlike most coffee shops in the city too. The coffee has to be escalated to 5 out of 5 on the dark rich coffee bean scale. However, the shop needs a few more things on the walls as the interior is bland. I'm void of interest as I wait for my takeaway. 4.95/5 taste buds bathing in liquid gold. Almost 5, just up the decor.

There's a reason this place is always busy and that's due to the excellent coffee. There are a few tables outside which is a good spot to people watch in the middle of the Strand Arcade. Coffee is served in relatively small cups and there is an endless stream of orders beihg processed. I like the coffee as it is fragrant and not diluted with too much milk.

The coffee was rich & bitter. The way CBD likes it! They don't have an almond milk option which was unfortunate, but at least they have soy milk. I really enjoyed my cappuccino although I don't usually drink soy milk.

Best coffee in The Strand arcade (in my opinion!) The on.h thing they could do better is sell a bit more food.

Ok the coffee is amazing - but I don't like the wanky pottery cups they're served in and I found the seating uncomfortable. But like I said the coffee is amazing! Service is slow - because it's busy!

Amazing coffee! I am so glad I found this place. I would go to coffee alchemy on weekends in Marrickville. But now I can get this awesome coffee in the city. We warned they just serve coffee. Nothing else. But if you're good at something why do anything else?! The only problem is they only have one size.

We stopped by to grab some coffee. A very cute little coffee shot. I got the iced coffee, which I thought was one of the best I had in Sydney. You sit in the middle of the boutique mall while sipping your coffee. A must do during your busy stay in Sydney.

Really great coffee in a beautiful location. We went mid-morning so it wasn't too busy.

The cafe was super busy when we arrived (middayish on a Sunday). Very few seats left. 5 people waiting for take away. Still, service was fast, staff were so friendly, and the flat white was amazing!!

$6 for 60ml of cold drip. When I questioned the size I was told "it's the perfect amount"

Coffee alchemy coffee with a fantastic location. Barista's improving so looking forward to the future with this one

Greatest coffee in Sydney. Very busy place. Of course, as these establishments go, the only thing you can buy is Coffee. Why would you need anything else?

Everything you would want to experience in Sydney when it comes to coffee. Amazing small shop in the center of shopping and commerce. The line made me realize it was good. Having tasted the coffee i realize it was well worth the wait. Servings are small but very tasty.

The place is a constant source of coffee frustration... Great coffee when it's good but inconsistent. Never seen them make a good soy based coffee. They have multiple grouped machines and an abundance of people to make coffee, which is the only thing they sell, yet it always seems to take and eternity to get your coffee particularly when your having it there.

Nice tasting coffee. A little bit of a wait, but it was fairly busy. It was a shame there are no larger sizes